tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Feb 02 07:24:59 2006
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Re: Klingon WOTD: lung (noun)
> >Klingon word: lung
> >Part of Speech: noun
> >Definition: type of animal, [loong] (lizardlike)
> >
> >Additional Notes:
> >KGT p. 49: A {lung} is not really a dragon, but that is a close
> approximation.
Duran lung DIr
Durani lizard skins KCD
This is a food item which never uses a plural suffix.
("Served dried and thinly sliced. Discovered by a Klingon
military unit stranded on Durani I for six months without
supplies. Although {lung} is translated as "lizard", it
actually can refer to any animal of that general shape,
such as a newt or salamander." [Okrand on KCD])
The small eggs of the Tokvirian skink ({toqvIr lung}),
however, are often eaten whole, shell and all, usually by
the handful. (KGT 88)
A specific plan or stratagem usually has a code name ({per
yuD} [literally, "dishonest label"]) coined especially for
the occasion and not necessarily used again. A {per yuD} is
sometimes the name of an animal, sometimes the name of a
Klingon historical figure, and it usually ends in {Qu'}
("mission, task"). Code names are the equivalent of Federa-
tion locutions such as "Operation Cougar" and are therefore
often translated in that pattern: ... {lung Qu'} (Operation
Dragon; a {lung} is not really a dragon, but that is a close
approximation) (KGT 48f)
"Their population is kept in check by the abundance of
reptiles on their homeworld."
(Dr Phlox on tribbles, ENT "The Breach")
Stephen Carter:
>Perhaps a pun on the Chinese word for dragon? In Mandarin, the word
>is romanized as "lung" (Wade-Giles) or "long" (pinyin), and takes the
>second tone. In Cantonese, it's usually romanized as "lung" (fourth
>tone), although it's also the "loon" in "Kowloon."
No question. Others have mentioned this before, but not in such
detail. It's been suggested - largely on the basis of {lung} IIRC - that
Chinese is among the languages which Okrand knows. Has anyone noticed any
other possible Chinese puns in the vocabulary? I couldn't find any
searching my notes.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons